Drake Callender returned in goal for Inter Miami, but who will start going forward?
Drake Callender put on a brave face the whole time.
Even as the frustrating days and weeks went by and the ramifications of his adductor injury kept him sidelined, he knew his turn would come.
Because once Callender knew he was 100 percent ready to return to his post, protecting Inter Miami’s goal as he has regularly since the 2023 season, he wanted his teammates and coaches to know he was ready to be there for good.
“It kind of just lingered and with an injury like that once I gave them the green light that I would be available for the rest of the season,” Callender said Sunday. “The club was super supportive of this.”
Callender was back in his usual role as Inter Miami’s starting keeper on Sunday night against Toronto FC at Chase Stadium.
Callender played all 90-plus minutes. He made three saves on four shots on goal overall by the opposition.
One shot, however, did get past Callender in the second minute of first half stoppage time, which led Inter Miami settling for a 1-1 draw with Toronto - a team currently sitting second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
The result was disappointing for Inter Miami, which played with a full strength lineup that included Lionel Messi, in a match it was rightfully favored to win.
For Callender, it was a mixed bag, having not been able to blank Toronto, but a victory in terms of his recovery from one of the most frustrating stretches of his career.
“It took me a bit to work through it and heal properly,” Callender said. “It’s one thing to heal, one thing to strengthen it and another thing to get up to game speed and perform and I told myself and the coaches that once I get the green light I want to be available for the rest of the year.”
Callender didn’t show any obvious signs of not being ready to handle a regular workload during Sunday’s start.
Callender said during his rehab the biggest issue was when it came to long clearances, he kept experiencing discomfort.
“I was really having trouble with the long kicking, the long balls,” Callender said. “Diving felt good. Catching felt good. The movements felt good, but once I got to kicking, it bothered me. I just wanted to do what I could, bit by bit.”
After missing the club’s first eight matches across all competitions, Callender returned briefly in Inter Miami’s prior MLS match - a 2-1 win over Philadelphia - when 38-year-old Oscar Ustari was forced to exit the match in the 83rd minute with severe leg cramps.
Ustari, who was signed in the preseason, went on to start every exhibition match and seven of the eight combined regular season and Concacaf Champions Cup games that Callender missed. The lone exception was Inter Miami’s 2-1 win on March 16 in Atlanta when Rocco Rios Novo started with Ustari serving a red card suspension.
Ustari has played really well during his starts, allowing four goals in four MLS matches (304 minutes overall). He also had three shutouts and allowed two goals overall in five Champions Cup matches.
“(Ustari) is a great goalkeeper. Our relationship is great. We enjoy training together and supporting each other,” Callender said. “I wasn’t available (early) and on a team you want to have guys who could fill those spaces. We’re at the top of the league and he’s a big part of that. I have great respect for him.”
Inter Miami turned back to Ustari last Wednesday in its 1-0 loss at LAFC in the first leg of its Champions Cup quarterfinal round before starting Callender on Sunday.
So with both keepers seemingly healthy at the same time for the first time this season, who will Inter Miami turn to primarily going forward?
“I wouldn’t say I’d be catching up. I’m ready to go. Going into my prime, I’m ready to go and I want to be there for my team,” Callender said. “The most important thing is that we win games and have competition on the team. We have a lot of weapons. I’m glad to get those first minutes and go on from there.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 1:03 PM.
